miley_cyrusfandomcom-20200213-history
Butterfly Fly Away
|main artist 1 = Miley Cyrus|main artist 2 = Billy Ray Cyrus|released = March 24, 2009|genre = Acoustic Pop|album name = Hannah Montana: The Movie (Soundtrack)|album name link = Hannah Montana: The Movie (soundtrack)|label = Walt Disney Records|writer = Glen Ballard, Alan Silvestri|producer = Glen Ballard, Alan Silvestri|prev track = The Climb|next track = Back to Tennessee|next track link = Hannah Montana: The Movie (soundtrack)}}"Butterfly Fly Away" is an acoustic pop duet performed by American actors and recording artists Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus. The song was first heard in the 2009 film Hannah Montana: The Movie, in which both Cyruses star, and was subsequently released on the film's soundtrack. An extended version is featured on Billy Ray's eleventh studio album, Back to Tennessee. The song is a soft country ballad with lyrics that describe a child's transition to adulthood. Background As with Miley and Ray Cyrus's last duet, "Ready, Set, Don't Go" (2007), "Butterfly Fly Away" describes a child's transition to adulthood. The song was written and produced by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri for the 2009 film Hannah Montana: The Movie. According to the film, when main character Miley Stewart (played by Miley Cyrus) was young, her father Robby Ray Stewart (played by Billy Ray Cyrus), would often tell her that while a caterpillar may not be able to move much, it can still dream about the butterfly it will one day be. This comment became a recurring motif in the film and provided the basis for the lyrics to "Butterfly Fly Away", which use a caterpillar's metamorphosis as a metaphor for a child's coming of age. In Hannah Montana: The Movie, the Cyruses perform the song as their characters in "a tender movie scene under a gazebo in the rain". Billy Ray said filming the scene was "a pretty special moment. The song itself was written by Glen Ballard, a masterful songwriter who wrote 'Man in the Mirror' for Michael Jackson. I knew it was a pretty special song ... and it certainly comes at a nice spot in the movie." The contemporary country duet is set in common time with a gentle tempo of 69 beats per minute. The song's vocals range one octave, from C3 to B4. The song is written in a key of B major and features the chord progression, Esus2—B—C7. Critical reception Reviewers gave the song moderately positive reviews. Warren Truit of About.com found it "sentimental" while Scott Mervis of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called it "a sweet duet". Allmusic reviewer Heather Phares said the song was "a treacly duet". Stephen Thomas Erlewine, also of Allmusic, was more negative, calling it a "syrupy, icky" song on which Billy Ray never sounds quite right. Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Miley's delicate duet with dad Billy Ray, 'Butterfly Fly Away,' is quietly lovely." Billboard''reviewer Ken Tucker stated that it "is an airy and flowing song about family on which father and daughter's voices blend nicely" Michael Rechtshaffen of ''The Hollywood Reporter called "Butterfly Fly Away" a "tender Glen Ballard/Alan Silvestri ballad".The song was included on the short list for Best Original Song at the 82nd Academy Awards, but did not achieve a nomination. Live performances The Cyruses performed the song on Good Morning America on April 8, 2009, along with performances of "Full Circle", "Hoedown Throwdown" and "The Climb". They included the song in their set for the AOL Sessions, recorded on April 13, 2009. They also performed the song in London in an Apple Store, along with a duet version of Billy Ray's "Thrillbilly" and several of their own singles. The set, along with some songs by Cyrus's father, was sold exclusively by the United Kingdom iTunes Store as an extended play titled iTunes Live from London. Category:Songs Category:Collaborations Category:Hannah Montana: The Movie (soundtrack) songs